CHICAGO (RNS) “It’s time,” said the Rev. A. Wendy Witt during Sunday services at First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple.

Time to open the doors of the church to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, that is.

First United Methodist is one of the more than 750 congregations within the United Methodist Church that form the Reconciling Ministries Network, dedicated to including LGBT people in a denomination that bars them from ordination and does not allow its ministers to officiate same-sex weddings.

On Sunday, the network celebrated “It’s Time Sunday,” part of its “It’s Time” campaign intended to push the 7 million-member denomination to address the issue during its May 10-20 General Conference, a quadrennial meeting of Methodists from around the world.

More than 100 petitions relating to human sexuality have been submitted to the church’s top governing body. The denomination’s 864 elected delegates will consider them when they meet in Portland, Ore.

“It’s the perennial issue that will not go away, and for better or for worse, it’s the main battle flag issue between the liberal side of the church and the conservative side of the church,” said Mark Tooley, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Institute on Religion & Democracy.

Issues regarding sexuality have been discussed at every conference since the 1972 General Conference added language to the Book of Discipline calling homosexuality “incompatible with Christian teaching.”

Those discussions have been characterized by “lots of anguish and emotion and demonstration and disruption and sometimes police involvement,” according to Tooley.

But this year is different, said the Rev. Gil Caldwell, who was arrested at the General Conference 16 years ago while protesting the adoption of the sexuality provisions.

“The fact that same-sex marriage is now legal in the U.S.A. … that certainly ought to have an impact at a General Conference meeting after that fact,” Caldwell said.

Church research shows 46 percent of U.S. members agree with the church’s ban on same-sex marriage.

But crucially, the denomination is growing overseas and particularly in Africa, where homosexuality is banned in many countries. More than 40 percent of delegates will come to the General Conference from outside the U.S.

Peg Isaacson, left, chair of the Reconciling Ministries Taskforce at First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple, and the Rev. Wendy A. Witt, one of the church’s pastors, pose for a photo after its services on It’s Time on May 3, 2016, urging the upcoming United Methodist Church General Conference to recognize “it’s time” for the full inclusion of LGBT church members and clergy. RNS photo by Emily McFarlan Miller

“There’s almost no doubt that if the United Methodist Church were a U.S.-only denomination, it would be where the other U.S.-only mainline Protestant denominations are on this issue,” Tooley said.

Tooley’s ecumenical Institute on Religion & Democracy, which describes itself as a voice for “Christian orthodoxy,” does not support a change, and he said he expects the General Conference to reaffirm its policies, possibly even strengthen them.

Still others — such as Peg Isaacson, chair of First United Methodist’s Reconciling Task Force — would be happy if the denomination simply allowed individual congregations to choose for themselves how to welcome gays.

All three positions are represented in the petitions delegates will consider at the General Conference, which will begin with a debate on how to debate the issue. The commission that oversees the gathering has proposed a group discernment process, nicknamed “Rule 44,” that would allow delegates to discuss contentious issues in small groups.

That way, Isaacson said, “people are looking at each other and talking to each other, rather than just testifying at a legislative committee.”

Among the plans to streamline all the legislation regarding sexuality is “The Simple Plan” supported by the Reconciling Ministries Network. That would change six paragraphs in the denomination’s Book of Discipline.

As the General Conference approaches, the “It’s Time” campaign was one of several drawing attention to what’s at stake in the debate.

And this week, 15 clergy and clergy candidates in the New York Annual Conference came out in an open letter, saying, “We are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer clergy and candidates.” In another open letter, the chairs of the Baltimore-Washington Conference and New York Conference boards of ordained ministry called on other Methodist conferences to join them in no longer asking candidates about their sexual orientation.

On It’s Time Sunday, First United Methodist spent time in prayer for the bishops, delegates, staff and volunteers at the General Conference, as well as for “civility.” After the service, clergy and congregants such as Church Council Chair John Barker posed for photos inside a blue frame painted with the words, “Dear church … it’s time.”

Barker smiled alongside his wife, Kathy, and their 12-year-old daughter, Sophie. It was important to him for his family to take a stand, he said, echoing the theme of the day, “because it’s time for the church to change.”

“We support inclusion efforts and trust that the delegates to General Conference will hear God’s call to eliminate language that discriminates and live into God’s call that all means all,” he said.

RNS is owned by Religion News LLC, a non-profit, limited liability corporation based at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. Its mission is to provide in-depth, non-sectarian coverage of religion, spirituality and ideas.

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The United Methodist Reporter wants to encourage lively conversation about The United Methodist Church and our articles in the belief that Christian conversation (what Wesley would call conferencing) is a means of grace. While we support passionate debate, we cannot allow language that demeans or demonizes others, and we reserve the right to delete any comment we believe to be harmful or inappropriate. We encourage all to remember that we are all broken and in need of Christ's grace, and that we all see through the glass darkly until that time we when reach full perfection in love. May your speech here be tempered with love, and reflection of the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. After all, "There is no law against things like this." (Galatians 5:22-23)

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jimmie shelby

Isn’t this the only issue facing the United Methodist Church?

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2 years ago

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jimmie shelby

This writer would encourage all who “strive and struggle” with this discussion which trumps all other discussion in regard to what is going on in today’s umc to visit the 1st chapter of Romans–particularly verses 18-22. The Apostle Paul makes it very plain and clear.

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2 years ago

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marber

The DOORS are always open, just not the pulpits.

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2 years ago

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Richard F Hicks

What about the Qs like me. Apparently we’re not included in this inclusion! Hi, I’m Richard and I’m a queer. I’ve been an out of the closet queer since 1979. That was the year I began the discipline of tithing the full 10% on my gross income. I’m as queer as they come. I’m out and I’m loud but not included. Thank you, Richard F Hicks, OKC